


Holding out for a Hero

by tisfan



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Kiss, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 23:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14681364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tisfan/pseuds/tisfan
Summary: When someone drops their things off and says "watch my stuff" are you actually obligated to do anything, if someone else tries to make off with it?





	Holding out for a Hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chicklette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicklette/gifts).



_Spring Break_

“So,” Becca leaned forward, “tell me how you got together. Bucky’s been reluctant to share.”

“He was my hero,” Tony said, his broad, brilliant smile crossing his face, making his eyes crinkle up adorably.

“Tell me…”

***

_Four months earlier_

Thor was expounding dramatically on the most recent football practice for the benefit of Jane -- his girlfriend, a physics major who understood end-around sneaks as well as Thor understood quasars. She looked like she was listening, but Bucky suspected her brain was light years away. Thor’s brother, Loki, was absently opening packets of sugar and adding them to Thor’s mug every time his brother said the word _handoff_. The pile of empty packets resembled a tiny snowdrift.

Bucky was still benched because of injury; he’d sprained his wrist, and not even at football practice, which was infuriating, but because Rumlow hadn’t properly assembled the drops during stagecrafting class and the whole set of flats had come tumbling down on Bucky while he’d been crossing the stage. It made for a great story -- _I was hit by a train_ \-- but it still hurt and he was probably going to miss most of the football season this year.

He’d been at practice, especially for the boards part of it, but there was a big difference between the sketches coach drew and actually running the plays. So, Bucky was paying keen attention to Thor, so that he could go over the whole thing in his head a few times. As soon as his arm was out of the damn wrap, he wanted back on the field.

Thor picked up his mug and took a swallow of his coffee sludge.

The face he made was excellent, and they all took a few minutes to laugh about it, while Thor clapped his brother on the back hard enough to send the thinner Odinson crashing into the tabletop, and then to the floor. “A fine joke, indeed,” Thor declared.

Loki was just picking himself up and dusting himself off when someone rushed by, dropped his backpack in Loki’s chair and threw an armload of books onto the table. “Watch my stuff, would you?” He brushed a quick kiss on Bucky’s cheek and was off again before Bucky had time to be more than surprised.

“Who the hell was that?”

“Mmm,” Jane hummed. “Tony Stark. He’s the TA for my Systems Engineering seminar.”

“Isn’t that the class that’s teaching you to be an actual-facts rocket scientist?” Darcy Lewis asked. She hadn’t been participating in the football discussion at all, but instead her nose was buried in a women’s studies book and she had her beret pulled down almost to her eyebrows. She always looked like she’d be more at home at a poetry slam than in the stands for football, but wherever Jane was, there was Darcy.

“That’s the one, it’s utterly fascinating,” Jane said, and was going to launch into one of her speeches about how amazing it was when Bucky pointed to the load of stuff that Tony had left behind.

“Does he actually expect me to guard his things?” The spot where Tony’s mouth had landed on Bucky’s cheek felt overly warm and tingly.

“‘Tis a sacred duty, the guardianship of the stuff,” Thor opined. “You must battle to the death, should someone wish to make off with Tony’s possessions.”

“Yeah, that ain’t happenin’,” Bucky said.

Loki sniffed disdainfully, but pulled up yet another chair rather than reclaiming his.

“So, you do not know him?” Thor inquired.

“We ain’t met, no,” Bucky said. He was aware that he was still absently rubbing his cheek with his thumb and looking off in the direction where Tony had vanished.

“There it is!”

Someone was yelling and then someone else grabbed Tony’s bag and grabbed the strap, knocking the chair over in the process.

“Hey!” Despite saying he wasn’t going to battle to the death, Bucky was up in the guy’s face as soon as he realized what was going on. “That’s not yours.”

“Stay out of it, man,” the blond shoved him back, and Bucky almost fell before regaining his footing.

Bucky snatched the backpack and jerked it toward him. “ _Let go_ ,” Bucky snarled. He recognized the guy, Ty Stone, majoring in asshole. He was going to graduate with honors, at least in the asshole field.

Ty just laughed, kept his hand on the strap. “Or you’re going to do what, exactly?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Bucky could see Loki standing up, hands cupped delicately near his face. He gave Bucky an emerald wink and mouthed _ready?_ at him.

Bucky tightened his grip on the backpack and Loki spread his fingers, blowing out a puff of air like he was putting out candles on a cake. A cloud of white powder rushed directly into Ty’s face, causing him to cough and splutter and then lick his lips, confused. Bucky took advantage of the distraction to yank the bag free.

“What the fuck?” Ty was rubbing frantically at his eyes, which were watering profusely.

Loki made a magician’s flourish, and came up with several empty packets of splenda.

“I oughta break your arm for that, you little weasel,” Ty threatened.

“Ty, it’s over.” Tony was back, looking smug. “Leave them alone, they didn’t have anything to do with it.” He glanced from Ty’s face, furious and red-eyed, to Bucky, where he was still holding onto the backpack. “It’s okay. Give it to him, there’s nothing in there.” He sneered at Ty. “Did you really think I would take your lab papers and put them in a _backpack_? Don’t be stupid. I have all the evidence I need, and I’ve already emailed it to Doctor Fury. You’re done. It’s over.”

“What?” Bucky let go of the strap and Ty tore it open, dumping what looked like nothing more than a few newspapers and a bunch of flyers for the GSA ball.

“He’s been falsifying his research data for his doctoral thesis,” Tony said. “Switching our samples. He was responsible for the lab accident two weeks ago that cost me most of my raw materials, because he knew that if I got my hands on his samples in my incubator…”

“You’re a kid,” Ty accused. “You’re a petulant little brat and who the fuck is going to believe you?”

“I’m legally of age, now Ty, even if I was the youngest student ever accepted to MIT,” Tony said. “And I have all the proof I need. You’ll go up before the council for an honor code violation. Your dad’s money might be able to buy your way out of it. Give up gracefully now. This villain vengeance thing isn't a good look.”

Ty dropped the bag, his fists came up and he lunged at Tony.

“Thor, buttonhook blitz,” Bucky snapped, and he kicked the chair directly into Ty’s path. Thor was already out of his chair, moving rapidly away -- everyone else would assume to find campus security. But he hooked back in, just before Ty got there.

Thor wrapped a massive arm around Tony’s chest and lifted, turning to protect the smaller man with his entire broad back.

Ty tripped over the chair, stumbled, and faceplanted in Thor’s shoulder.

People really didn’t realize how terrifying Thor was until they were facing him on the football field. Or when he was frowning with all the seriousness of a vengeful god.

“You haven’t heard the last of this, Tony,” Ty snapped, and stalked off. A smear of artificial sweetener dusted the back of his jeans.

“I tremble with fear,” Tony said, all false bravado because Bucky could see that he actually was shaking.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Bucky said. He put one arm around Tony’s shoulders and gently drew him out of Thor’s protective circle. “Come on, sit down. You’re okay.”

“Sorry about that,” Tony said. “Didn’t really want to get you all involved in that, I just thought Ty’d come and steal my bag and you’d let him, and that would give me enough time to email Fury.”

“Don’t you know, watching the stuff is a sacred duty,” Bucky teased. “I have to fight to the death.”

“What?”

Bucky shrugged, grinning. “It’s what Thor said, at any rate.”

“You really didn’t have to--” Tony squeaked, his huge doe eyes eating up his face.

“Not even a problem,” Bucky insisted.

“Yeah, he’s always wanted to play hero and get a kiss from the fair maiden,” Loki said. He put his chin in his cupped hands and looked expectant. “Go on then. I helped, it’s only fair I get a front row seat.”

“He ain’t wrong,” Bucky said. He was kidding -- not that Loki hadn’t been a help, because he had -- and wasn’t actually expecting anything except to embarrass Tony, who’d kissed him first, after all.

“Oh.” Tony’s tongue darted out to wet his lips and suddenly Bucky wasn’t kidding at all. His internal organs went up in flames. “All right, then. Only fair. Dashing hero gets a kiss from the rescued damsel, altho I was not even a little bit in distress, I totally had this covered, everything going according to plan, and I--”

Bucky kissed him. It seemed like the only way to get him to stop talking, if nothing else.

And it was the most magical, wonderful, awkward, but exciting, kiss Bucky had ever had.

Tony’s mouth was soft and subtle, sweet and adept. The prickle of his mustache tickled Bucky’s lip, drawing a gasp and as soon as he parted his lips, Tony’s tongue slid in. He tasted faintly of coffee, dark and rich. Bucky found himself cupping the back of Tony’s neck, holding him right where he was until Bucky mapped out the territory of his mouth completely.

“Oh, well,” Tony said, pulling back finally with a long breath. “Uh… you can watch my stuff any time you want.”

“I… uh,” Bucky said, aware that he was blushing furiously. Thor had turned aside courteous as always, talking with Jane and Darcy, while Loki was still watching avidly. “Sure, I… maybe I could--”

Loki huffed. “Tony Stark, meet Bucky Barnes,” he said, grabbing Bucky’s wrist and placing his hand firmly in Tony’s. “Go… go for a walk, take him out to dinner, something.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, but as much as Loki was a meddlesome sort of fella, he might not be entirely wrong. “Want… er--”

“Walk me back to my dorm?” Tony suggested. “Just in case Ty decides to ambush me?”

“Yeah, sure, okay. That’s probably smart.”

Tony snagged his backpack and stuffed his things back inside, then draped himself over Bucky’s arm, like a swooning maiden. “My hero.”


End file.
